Ransomware encrypts or steals data to disrupt operations and extort victims, making backups, access controls, and incident response essential.
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Background for this topic.
Ransomware is malware used to deny access to systems or data, usually by encrypting files and demanding payment for decryption. Many operations also steal sensitive information and threaten to publish it, so an attack can create both an availability crisis and a privacy or disclosure risk. Initial access may involve phishing, stolen credentials, exposed remote services, or exploitation of unpatched vulnerabilities; attackers may then move through the network before deploying the payload.
Defenses should combine vulnerability management, phishing-resistant authentication where practical, endpoint and network monitoring, and backups that are isolated from routine administrator access and regularly tested for recovery. Organizations should also limit privileges and segment critical systems to reduce the blast radius. An incident requires rapid containment, preservation of forensic evidence, restoration from known-good backups, and assessment of notification, legal, and regulatory obligations. Threat intelligence can help identify relevant criminal infrastructure or tactics, but it does not replace sound access control, patching, detection, and recovery practices.
Also: Lawyers told to dissuade clients from paying off ransomware crooks, and more In brief SMBs, beware: Microsoft said this week it has discovered a North Korean crew targeting small businesses with ransomware since September of last year.…
Microsoft has linked a threat that emerged in June 2021 and targets small-to-mid-sized businesses to state-sponsored actors tracked as DEV-0530.
The group, going by the name H0lyGh0st, has been developing and conducting cross-national malware attacks for over a year
An emerging threat cluster originating from North Korea has been linked to developing and using ransomware in cyberattacks targeting small businesses since September 2021
For more than a year, North Korean hackers have been running a ransomware operation called HolyGhost, attacking small businesses in various countries. [...]
For more than a year, North Korean hackers have been running a ransomware operation called HolyGhost, attacking small businesses in various countries. [...]
A US debt collector has reported a breach of 1.9 million healthcare records across 650 providers
Professional Finance Company (PFC) was hit in February 2022 by a ransomware attack.
The BlackCat ransomware group has deployed a new binary to help with its intrusion efforts
Bitcoin is down more than 70% from its highs late last year, causing disruptions for cybercriminals and the underground exchanges that fuel the dark markets.
Phishing retained its place as the top root cause of data compromises, according to new data from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).
A new ransomware operation has been launched under the name 'Lilith,' and it has already posted its first victim on a data leak site created to support double-extortion attacks. [...]
The P in PFC now stands for Pwned Professional Finance Company, a Colorado-based debt collector whose customers include hundreds of US hospitals, medical clinics, and dental groups, recently disclosed that more than 1.9 million people's private data – including names, addresses, social security numbers and health records – was exposed during a ransomware infection.…
Game publishing giant Bandai Namco has confirmed that they suffered a cyberattack that may have resulted in the theft of customers' personal data. [...]
Two mostly defunct threats — WannaCry and NonPetya — top the list of ransomware searches, but does that mean they are still causing problems?
Ransomware activity rose by 21% compared to Q1 2022, according to a new report
Researchers at Trend Micro have uncovered stealthy ransomware named 'HavanaCrypt,' which presents itself as a Google Software Update
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Over half of lower education institutions were hit by ransomware in the past year
"We paid the crooks to keep things under control and make a bad thing better"... isn't a valid excuse. Who knew?